Game of Thrones is a big franchise, and there are times when the functioning of its complex machinery hits several roadblocks or needs some urgent changes. The prequel series House of The Dragon has been largely successful so far, so it came as a surprise to many fans when recently, one of the show’s foundational pillars, Miguel Sapochnik, quit the series as a co-showrunner. And Steve Toussaint, himself being a huge fan of Game of Thrones, and in turn Sapochnik’s work, felt gutted over the same.
The House of The Dragon star told Entertainment Weekly on the West of Westeros podcast, “We have this English phrase ‘gutted’. I was like, ‘Oh no!’ Ryan rang me, because I’ve been shooting something in Belgium. And so, I got a call from Ryan one night, just saying, ‘Listen, this is about to break. I want you to know what’s happening and everything’s going to be fine,’ and so forth. And it’s Miguel’s decision. So I was disappointed.”
“When we were doing the premiere in London, I was having a chat with Alex, his wife… This is before, obviously, we knew. It was full-on with him, because he was constant,” Toussaint recalls. “Of course, he had to direct and do his own bits, obviously his own episodes. And then, of course, he has to overlook the whole thing, make sure the look is still in line with the whole story. I think they’re still right now cutting the last couple of episodes, so it’s a huge amount.”
“While personally, I’m disappointed, because I think he has a great artistic vision, I understand, for the good of his health, he’s got to take a long break and recharge himself and decide what else he wants to do next to that,” Toussaint added. “I think the world’s his oyster, because he’s so incredibly talented.”
Do you think Sapochnik’s exit will affect House of The Dragon’s success? Tell us in the comments below!
Read Next: House of the Dragon fixes George R. R. Martin’s biggest regret with Game of Thrones
